Obama delivered a speech to students across the nation last Tuesday, encouraging them to focus on studies and hard work during the upcoming school year.

Principal Alan Goodwin took this message to heart and decided that rather than halting classes for an assembly or mandated viewing, teaching would continue.

According to Goodwin, the leadership team decided that they shouldn’t interrupt school and that the issues presented in the speech aren’t huge problems at Whitman.

“Fortunately, our students are engaged enough in school,” he said. “96 percent of our students go to college, and so they don’t struggle with dropping out.”

The speech aired live at noon during sixth period. Administrators reserved the library, choral room and main foyer for students who wanted to watch. Additionally, teachers could show the speech during class.

Math teacher Jim Kuhn, who teaches AP Calculus during sixth period, chose not to play the speech, stating that most of his students already understood the importance of education.

“I felt as if his speech wasn’t directed at these kids,” he said.

While he didn’t show the speech in class, Kuhn offered to distribute a recording to students who wanted to watch it on their own time.

But there were teachers who did watch the speech with their sixth period classes. Russ Rushton, who also teaches math, felt that the speech had a strong message that could only benefit the students, and decided to show the speech to his students.

“His message about valuing education and working hard in school – those are messages that really need to be shared,” Rushton said.

According to Rushton, the administration instructed teachers to ask their classes if they wanted to watch the fifteen minute speech.

Freshman Deanna Segall watched the video in class and was glad that her teacher took time out of regular lessons to show it.
“It was inspirational,” she said. “It made me feel good.”

Although students had the opportunity to view the speech during sixth period in one of the viewing rooms if their teacher was not showing it, most stayed in class.

“I’m kinda bummed,” said junior Emily Park said. “I thought the school would provide me with the resources to watch the speech.”

Park, who was in class during sixth period, was disappointed that not all teachers were showing the speech, because most students couldn’t leave or risk missing class material.

In his address, Obama stressed that a good education is the foundation for a successful future, and that all success comes with hard work and practice.

“Every single one of you has something you’re good at,” Obama said. “Every single one of you has something to offer, and you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide”

Rushton put it more frankly.

“We are going to be working hard all of our lives, period,” he said. “The sooner kids get to know that the better.”

Click here to watch Obama\’s speech